The
new king of the hill ?
It's amazing how fast technology evolves. It seems like
yesterday I was comparing
the 1D to the D60 and going crazy over how great the
Canon D60 could handle long exposures. When that camera
first came out, it set precedence on achieving noiseless
files, taken at up to 4-minute exposure. This ability
was remarkable and raised the bar for digital photography.
The 1D on the other hand, didn't perform quite as well
with long-exposure shots. I speculated that this was due
to the type of interline CCD sensor used.
Today,
there is a new King of the hill. The 1Ds now sets the
standard for digital photography and surpasses any and
all competition when it comes to long exposure. In the
tests I ran, this camera produced virtually noiseless
images at up to 5-minutes exposure (noise reduction set
to "off"), with better color, contrast and sharpness
than the D60. But is it enough to justify the extra cash
you'll have to lay out to keep the shutter open for that
extra minute. Here are the samples, you be the judge:
The
above photo was taken in the pitch dark. Yes, if you're
wondering I did have to use a flashlight to set this up
since I had no contrast to focus on. At a five minute
exposure time, this level of clarity, noise and detail
is something new. The example crops speak for themselves.
I was impressed and found the results to be quite advanced.
In
an e-mail message from Canon's Chuck Westfall, (Assistant
Director / Technical Information Dept. of Camera Division
/ Canon U.S.A) he says that according to Canon Inc. the
EOS-1Ds's noise reduction method (setting noise reduction
to "on" and using dark frame subtraction) is
the same as the EOS-1D, but it is different in one respect:
the algorithm begins during the actual exposure rather
than afterwards, using data stored in the camera's buffer
memory. For reference purposes, the EOS D30's noise reduction
algorithm works like the EOS-1D, but like the EOS-1Ds,
it starts with exposures longer than 1 second as opposed
to exposures of 1/15 sec. and longer with the EOS-1D.
The
default setting for noise reduction on the 1Ds is in the
"off" position. Using this setting, long exposure
shots are saved and viewed on the LCD almost immediately
after waiting for the exposure time. (All samples shown
here were taken with noise reduction set to "off").
Judging from my test shots, I concluded that EOS-1Ds long
exposure files with noise reduction set to "off",
have a very similar look to the D60's. Both cameras files
are virtually noiseless, and have very few "stuck
pixels".
If
you turn this setting "on" then the camera will
be using a dark frame subtraction technique, and you will
have to wait twice as long for your image to be recorded
and viewed. From my samples, I found this unnecessary
for images up to 4-minute exposure since stuck pixels
are kept to a minimum even for this duration. Nonetheless,
it's nice that Canon included this option for those who
shoot at even longer exposure times and don't mind waiting
twice as long to record their images. I also noticed that
long exposure 1Ds files appear sharper and have better
colors/contrast on the 1Ds compared to the D60.
Westfall
also said that, "When comparing the EOS-1Ds to the
EOS D60, users should also note that the signal readout
method for each camera is different. The EOS-1Ds uses
a 2-channel reading system, compared to the single channel
reading system used in the D60. This feature essentially
doubles the throughput of EOS-1Ds
image data off the chip relative to the D60, and along
with an expanded buffer memory, makes a 10 frame burst
at 3 fps possible, even when the EOS-1Ds is set for RAW
plus Large/Fine jpeg."
Canon's new camera is capable of holding great tonal range
in the highlights and shadows. It seems to me that all
of the 1D side effects from long exposure were addressed
and eliminated when making the 1Ds. Some of the side effects
I'm referring to are excessive hot pixels and the purple
colorization in the corners. Long exposure images from
the 1Ds are clean and noiseless.
